General News
29 July, 2024
Daniher talks about farming, footy, and fighting MND at event opening
The 2024 Mallee Machinery Field Days crowd is looking forward to the official opening being conducted by AFL legend Terry Daniher.
Daniher will be taking the opportunity to talk about two topics close to his heart - his own history in agriculture, and spreading awareness about Motor Neuron Disease (MND).
The eldest child of James "Jim" and Edna (née Erwin) Daniher, Terry “TD” Daniher grew up in the small town of Ungarie, New South Wales, where he attended school until Year 10 before leaving to take up farming.
Daniher and his three brothers, Neale, Anthony, and Chris, played AFL on Saturday for their local club in the Northern Riverina Football League, and Rugby League after Mass on Sundays.
He won several best and fairest awards over the years, and the senior football Evans Medal in 1974.
While playing for Ariah Park-Mirrool in the South West Football League for the 1975 season, Daniher was approached by the South Melbourne Swans Football Club.
He played 19 games for them in the 1976 season before being traded to Essendon, where he played full forward.
By 1982, Daniher was known as one of the most versatile players of his time and was voted the club’s Best and Fairest.
In 1983 was named Captain, and made the All Australian team for the first of three times (1983, 1985 and 1988).
Across his professional career, Daniher played 313 professional VFL/AFL games, and scored a career total of 470 goals.
He appeared in four Grand Finals (1983, 1984, 1985 and 1990), and won the 1984 and 1985 Premierships.
In 1993, Daniher took up a position as Captain and coach of the Wagga Tigers - a position he held until 1998, leading the team to five Premierships and one State Championship.
In 1999 he returned to Essendon to take up a coaching position.
Daniher finished coaching AFL in 2007, after four years with Essendon, one with Collingwood, two years with St Kilda, and two with Carlton.
In 2008, Daniher coached the Victorian Country Football League (VCFL) for the National Country Championships.
He also worked in the VCFL Back to Grass Roots program, which involved holding coaching and motivation clinics all across regional Victoria and southern NSW.
Terry’s brothers all had their own highly successful careers, playing, leading and coaching teams to victory many times over.
In 1990, coach Kevin Sheedy reunited the four Daniher brothers to play for the Essendon Bombers.
Terry, Neale, Anthony and Chris played two games together over the years - one for Essendon, and one for NSW in a State of Origin game against Victoria - and are the only four brothers in the history of football to ever run out together.
When all the brothers played for Essendon, Sheedy allowed each of them to start on the ground - Terry at full-back, Neale at full-forward, Anthony on the wing, and Chris in the centre.
In 2013, Neale stepped down from his position as general manager of the West Coast Eagles citing health issues.
He made his diagnosis of Motor Neuron Disease public the next year.
The Daniher family have dedicated themselves to spreading awareness about the incurable disease which affects eople from every country and of every ethnicity, including more than 2300 Australians.
There is no cure for MND, its cause remains a mystery, and it grows progressively worse as it steals a loved one's ability to walk, talk, laugh, smile and, eventually, breathe.
Research has shown that it is more common in people over 50, and that the risk grows as people get older.
The lifetime risk of developing this disease is about 1 in 300 by the age of 85. However, almost half of those diagnosed are under 60. Men are more likely to be diagnosed than women.
Every day, two more Australians are diagnosed with MND, and every day two Australians die from it.
Those attending the MMFD this year are encouraged to wear their blue and grey FightMND beanies in support of the ongoing battle against the disease.
The event’s official opening will take place at 12pm (noon) on Thursday August 1, at the Office building in the centre of the Field Day’s site.